Transition important for older children adopted overseas

As more older children are being adopted internationally, the post-adoption services are becoming increasingly important to ensure a smooth transition.

A 2013 study out of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute found that many more children being adopted from other countries are of older age in comparison to recent years when more infants were being adopted.

This is the result of many factors, including higher domestic adoption rates in other countries and generally less availability of children due to more stringent regulations.

The technical side of the post-adoption period involves reports about a child’s adjustment progress.

Some countries require foreign adoptive parents to provide updated information, for years after the child is adopted, according to a website for the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs.

The requirements of the post-adoption reports vary based on country. For instance, some countries require reports be filed up until the child in question turns 18.

Susan Goble of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois works with families to fill out the reports and then sends them to the respective placing agencies, as well as the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Past the paperwork, however, Goble’s role involves making sure the adoptive family adjusts emotionally and mentally with the new child, in order to ensure the stability of the family’s future. That process, she said, becomes more complicated with an older child or one with special needs.

In fact, although the rate of adoptions that fail after the children are placed is only between 1 and 10 percent, the likelihood increases with adoptions of older children, according to a 2012 child welfare study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“There’s more of an adjustment with older children,” she said. “I think (the post-adoption process has) always been needed, but now, I think adoptive parents are going to see more issues if they’re bringing home an older child — they have a longer lifespan so more has happened in their lives.”

A study included in the same publication found that one of the barriers to a successful adoption was a lack of information about where to go for post-adoption services.

That’s where Goble steps in.

An important step, she said, is to connect adoptive families with those in similar situations.

“(Then) they can provide their own social support to each other, and, once they make connections, the community of adoptive families grows and is very helpful ...” she said. “I host an adoption support group in Rock Island and Galesburg, (which) helps to connect people.”

Goble can also recommend services such as therapy or medical options if a family is in need of specific help. And she spends as much time as a family needs making periodic visits, even just to talk, in order to ease the transition.

She said it’s perfectly normal for a child to exhibit negative behaviors after an international adoption is complete. That’s why parents are trained at the beginning of the adoption process for such “what-if” situations.

“But it’s still hard to live with even if you knew to expect it, and it can be very disconcerting for parents,” Goble said.

In fact, it can be so disconcerting that it takes a very real toll on them.

Feelings of depression — researchers have called it “post-adoption depression syndrome” — can occur as the tedium and other realities of parenthood emerge, according to a 2010 U.S. child welfare fact sheet.

For Mindy Trotter of Colchester, whose family completed their adoption of a Ukrainian toddler in October, there are, thankfully, no such feelings. However, the adjustment since they brought Nicholas home has still been a significant one, especially given the fact that he was born without feet or a left hand.

“I’ve probably had the biggest adjustment,” said Trotter, who stays home while her husband runs a business. “Especially with having a toddler in the house again after our other kids have grown out of that stage.”

Because of his handicaps, Nicholas will continue to have ongoing doctors appointments. But Trotter said frequent family discussions about those issues and how to respond to other people’s questions have been instrumental in their family’s transition.

“So, I think it’s me who has had the biggest adjustment,” she said. “Nicholas — well, he’s adjusted like a champ.”

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